Replacement ready, Spanish club set to lose top player to Chelsea

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Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is set to end his loan spell at Atletico Madrid and will return to Stamford Bridge this summer.

The Belgium international has been a standout player in his role for the Spanish capital club as he played a crucial role in Atletico’s last season success – winning the La Liga title and reaching the Champions League final, only to lose it to Real Madrid.

According to reports in Spain, Atletico are given a feeling from the Premier League club that they will not let Courtois continue on-loan for another season. This has seen Diego Simeone to find for a replacement for the tall Belgian.

Spanish newspaper El Confidencial claims the Spanish champions have set their sights on signing Benfica stopper Jan Oblak as Courtois’s replacement at Vicente Calderón Stadium. The Blues manager Jose Mourinho is keen on bringing his keeper back to the West London club in the summer transfer window.

Chelsea have made their intentions clear to Atletico that they are unwilling to allow Courtois continue in Spain, which will be a major blow for them as they were interested in signing the Belgium keeper on a permanent transfer.

However, the Blues are standing firm with their decision and Atletico now edging towards signing Oblak in the next few days. Courtois has already planned to vacate his home in Madrid and has made arrangements to shift to London.

Courtois was with the Belgium squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and after their exit at the hands of Argentina, he is now on a holiday to relax his mind before the season starts next month.

With Atletico finding a replacement for Courtois in the form of Oblak, Chelsea star Petr Cech’s future at Stamford Bridge has now started looking very gloomy. Second choice Blues keeper Mark Schwarzer recently extend his contract by a year and with the Belgian returning to British capital, Cech’s time is all but done with Chelsea.

Courtois’s return would be a major boost for both Mourinho and Chelsea in his bid to rebuild the squad to challenge for the Premier League title. However, this might come at a cost as Cech could be the third Blues star to depart in the transfer window, after Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard.